to look at before we leave and to see how our choices affect other living beings and other humans. a lot of humans will be very sad about this. a lot of animals will lose their home. that is by example and lesson for the children that i work with the i know are very enamored of soccer and i hope he will reject this so that an alternative can be put in place perhaps at the nearby west sunset playground, and also that fields can be constructed in the west end for natural grass. >> good the long evening, i am here to ask you to reject this report and protect the golden gate park which is one of the few remaining environments for

recreation hall that is naturalistic could that have a large city can prop -- possibly create. value the dirt. for me, a particular concern for anybody listening are the dark skies. i am a country girl on my way to the skies right now and i appreciate the dark skies and stars pushing on you. this is the type of thing available at a very small urban way. this is so important for so many people that have no appreciation or experience with of the cosmos. especially children that can't even identify the big dipper. and for birds that are so confused that they can't tell the difference between the night sky and a day sky when the lights are turned on like this, of pulled the appeal. rec and park must learn to maintain and respect the fields

that they have as much as they covet and maintain the gulf courses for adults. they must stop claiming that this is for the benefit of children's play when we all know this is really about creating more opportunities to sell more permits and more of them for longer * for private entities to use public property and this pandering to the high stakes expensive foundations. the hybrid alternative is sort of a win for everybody. protect the west end, keep the master plan intact, provide more and sufficient hours of play through the new hybrid alternative, and send this back to the planning department.

>> there is a bunch of on my feet here, but i will step over it. the board is hearing this appeal of the environmental impact report because the document has failed to adequately protected golden gate park from inappropriate development. the supervisors are called upon to protect golden gate park. he must decide if this wonderful open space is not just a hunk of raw land waiting to be exploited. it is part of the legacy from the early as the designers of our city to future generations to ensure that nature and wildlife show coexist with and for the recreation of people. the current flexibility of the grassy meadow allows for multiple uses that complement each other. they failed to determine that the appropriate alternatives for a sports complex do exist and that significant harm to our

beloved park can be avoided. it is your turn to stand up for golden gate park and did not approve this report. for the record, i want everyone to know that i support the renovation of play fields when the neighbors of the area are also in support of the project, such as been demonstrated in the loving recreation field. i think this is an exemplary process. i believe also that you do support families and respect the environment, too. he has explained how we can accomplish both. you can have your cake and eat it too with the proposed hybrid plan. use your power today to save golden gate park by upholding this appeal.

>> he was born in the summer of his twenty seventh green grass year. coming home to a city he had never been before. he left yesterday and you might say he was green grass born again. you might say he found a key to every district door. and the city, keep them natural and green. and to send all our route, it is all your means. you will be a poor person if you never saw green grass go by. green grass, keep its high. in the city. keep it high in the city. you know we went crazy once, when he tried to jump in the send, and he got sandy dunn.

and the green grass, keeping a high end fund. ♪ we will have lots of fun in the sandy sun supervisors, when you're done keep it natural ♪ thanks. [applause] >> next speaker. >> i was nervous enough, now i have to follow that. i am not going to sing. it has been a long couple hours, thank you for your time. i am here to ask you to please support the appeal. as many others have said, it is inadequate and does not address the plan. it is inconsistent with the

master plan. why have we spent so much time and energy when the plan was developed to ignore that? it is not due process, and it really needs to be part of what you are addressing today. i am not here to cite specific sections, but i would like to mention that i grew up in san francisco. i still live here. in my lifetime, i have seen many spaces that were once open space. they got paved over a little at a time. and we need to step back and look at the big picture and see what that is doing to the flora, fauna, and people that live here. it needs to seriously be considered, the fact that the

coastal commission would not approve this just boggles my mind that we are moving forward, if that is the case as it has been stated. i like to say that if you can't in good conscience go forward with this, the answer is to send it back, not approve it, and find the right way. the hybrid plan is the right way and it needs to be seriously looked at and not just brushed away. >> supervisors, i will read from my notes, i think it goes much faster. i am a sentence as president, a homeowner across the street from golden gate park. i am a landscape gardener and have long been a park advocates and participated in the master plan process.

the west and has been designated to remain at on the natural wild side. wildlife has been highly valued to be recognized and protected. i am very familiar with the west end of the park. having spent years there, working with the successful san francisco cab program. you might be aware that the program has reduced the population by well over 95%. the blossoms, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, many species of birds. it is my opinion this soccer field project would have a terrible effect of the existing healthy diverse wildlife and have an extremely negative

impact. i think it is good to have a soccer field to be there in the park. i believe the field should remain natural grass without parking lots, without stance, towering lights, and commercialization. given the mess we are making on this earth, respect and protect wildlife. users will learn to take care of the grass fields there and a volunteer some caretaking in service of the game. >> my name is michelle welsh and i will read my notes, too. i oppose the commercialization and will be involved.

this development will forever alter the character of golden gate park which was deemed by the master plan. this development with artificial turf, stadium lights, and more parking is for adults. we have what is there now, to explore other sites of the golden gate park, how about candlestick park? >> i am in the outer richmond district, i have been there for 17 years and always appreciated the natural beauty of the area. delights will ruin my nighttime vision. the soccer fields that are there, they played all the way through high school and some to college. it is more fun to play on grass

that on artificial turf. the will be leaching all sorts of poisons into the water supply. all of the objections, i think that you should reject the eir. >> next speaker. >> good evening, supervisors. derrick brooks representing the san francisco green party. a we have thousands of very active members, almost all of which a vote. i personally grew up in the sierra mountains. in national parks and state parks systems. the organizer for 18 years, he

only place i feel a home from where i grew up is if i walked the trail out bear and in the national recreation area. it is also being encroached a long time from the veterans building. a love of the restaurants built have a brighter lights. any eir, you need to uphold this and send it back. i mean uphold the appeal and send the eir back. it does not recognize the west side of the city, and natural areas are being more and more in coach, -- encroached is a flawed eir. we have had a long string of

environmental impact reports that were clearly flawed. even allies at times voted for those eir's. the last two were the last ones. those of you that depend on the support of progressives need to think about this. we have reached our limit on this body to accepting reports that are clearly wrong. please factor them into your equation. president chiu: if there are any other members of the public that would wish to speak on behalf of the appellant, light up at this time. >> i am peter warfield, and as a citizen of san francisco, i am grateful to all of the people that have testified here earlier. this project looks exactly like

a case of money and politics, supported by, among other things, very tortured logic. a major aspect of the wonderfulness of golden gate park is that is a rustic nineteenth century big city park planned as a unit. the report states that the proposed project would appear generally consistent with the overall look and feel of other nearby facilities in the sense that most of them are composed of both naturalistic and built forms. that is like sang the electric chair in sing sing is generally consistent with the overall field of my bedside reading lamp. in the sense that both are electrical devices.

the park as a whole is a wonderful place, taking a beautiful chest of drawers, replacing the top with an ugly sheet of formica. these protect the city of golden gate park for everyone. please reject this eir. thank you. president chiu: next speaker. >> i'm larry juicy edomnd, i want one of those pins. the aids walk is this sunday. i go there for the aids walk, for 20, and world aids day. the park is of great nature for

people that live on this side -- we don't have anywhere to go for green. it seems like you're kicking people out by the water and you are taking that land. you will see over there and the fillmore, where they have already built soccer courts with lights. i come through their often. money should not by the city all the way, you're just taking the life out of people. it was discovered when they kicked over and grass grew because there was no grass. it would always be sand. this is going to be a sad day in

san francisco if we keep selling the city and people out of here. thank you. i still have 27 minutes. this is not a good eir. edmond juicy on this day. come to aids walk on sunday so you get a feel for what a great part is used for. >> thank you, mr. juicy. next speaker. >> i'm just going to read mine, too. have lived in the outer sunset for 33 years and i have to say, i love of photosynthesis, too. i will join that group. the compromise position proposed by ocean edge, the alternate win is-win.

-- is win-win. we just want to keep the soccer fields natural grass. i am willing to compromise on that issue of astroturf if you put it in the west sunset playground. i am willing to meet the soccer league halfway, but i am willing to meet the fisher family half way of they will meet us halfway as to the location. the chief will come here tonight and say it will help reduce crime. there are better ways to reduce crime. put it at seventh hand market. -- 7th and market. i have lived there 33 years and it does diffuse widely under the fog. it is an inappropriate use for the western edge of golden gate park. to say that the fields are not coastal is absurd. don't pee on my leg and tell me

it's raining. it's coastal. cut to the chase and reject this eir. please conform to the master plan and keep it wet and wild. last but not least, i noticed a number of my fellow senior citizens speaking on this issue. the political reality is that we have the historical higher voter turnout than youth league soccer players. just saying. president chiu: someone will come and distribute that. thank you. >> i'm anne clarke, and i'm a resident of the city. you mustand i am a resident of the city. you must be tired. i will speak very quickly.

i have a report prepared to give you. your ordinance in 2006, and this is your ordinance, the supervisor ordinance, about 60 fields and turf mandates that under-served neighborhood should receive priority. that is your mandate. you can only do that -- you can do that today and have a win-win for children of san francisco, beach shall lay, athletic fields, and the viking soccer league altogether. 40% of san francisco children, 43,000 children, and their families, live in neighborhoods surrounding the mclaren park, a park that has long been neglected. these children deserve and will get a great soccer complex that meets the requirements for order first -- artificial turf and lighting and has the plainfield's. imagine how much a complex will

mean to us -- mean to thousands of children and their families, neighborhoods, and will spill over to the small local businesses. it is a win-win for you, the board of supervisors, and your vision of the city, for mclaren park, the 43,000 children and their families, for the athletic fields, golden gate park, for the sf viking soccer league to get more children, and for the city fields and the fisher family to support under-served kids so they can play ball. i urge you to go ahead and recognize the fact that there can be a combined -- joint solution, including mclaren park and the athletic soccer field. based on your 2006 ordinance, you have the right and obligation to provide priorities to under-represented

neighborhoods. thank you. president chiu: next speaker. >> my name is jeff. i am the jewish spiritual leader for the community. we have bonfires at ocean beach every month. we have been doing this for 17 years. the lighting at the fields proposed would completely damage the ability for us to have a religious service at a bonfire, because the lighting would be ridiculous. i wanted to comment about that. also, i am a native san franciscan in the sunset district. from my view out my window, those lights will be bright, right there in golden gate park. they will not just the lighting for the people around. a lot of people previously have said it will be bad for their liking. it will be bad for those of us in the hills as well in the

areas around there. i think that is a terrible mistake. people have already spoken about the birds. i was recently down in that area going for a walk. in the evening, i can across a coyote. i have seen redd foxx in that area. that lighting and that noise from the soccer games will definitely drive those animals out of the park or to other neighborhoods, who knows where they would go. that will be another detrimental impact. i urge you to reject the eir and to accept the appeal. thank you. president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> maryann miller, district 4. longtime resident of the outer area that i consider my front yard and my backyard, the west end of golden gate park. i am a former city planner.

the planning department -- it was the idea that we would take always the best from what the public says and working it into the final resolution of any really contentious issues. this is a contentious issue, but it is not a polarized issue. the city is not polarized. this city is together. we want the same thing. i think we want the same things. we want more healthy play for children and adults. we want it in the city in a place where it is suitable. it seems everyone is telling you golden gate park is not the place. i don't think we should be opposing each other. i think we should be working together. i would like to ask the president, supervisors, if he would adjourn the meeting tonight to golden gate park west

end. have a lovely walk between the two enormous windmills. i don't know if you have been out there. you will be told how unsafe it is at night. i have walked my dogs at night on the coastal trail between the two huge windmills, passing the beach challis, and i have felt wonderful under the stars. thank you. president chiu: thank you very much. final speaker. >> an honor and responsibility. my name is catherine howard. i am from the golden gate park preservation alliance. in 2008, we voted for the park bond. over the last few years, i have spoken with a lot of people. i can tell you, none of them thought the 2008 bond would result in paving over the park and leading the heck out of it. according to the bond book, the project must have significant

support by everyone in the area. here there groups proposing it. friends of lands' end, haigh- ashbury, sunset action committee, the neighborhood coalition, citywide coalition for san francisco neighborhoods, over 44 groups, action for neighbor, a child advocacy organizations, the san francisco historic preservation commission, nationally, the cultural landscape foundation, the author of the guidelines, which probably know too well by now. the sierra club and golden gate audubon society. when we speak to people, they say the bond, what will happen with a 2012 bond? once we give rec and park millions of dollars, will i have a voice in what happens to my

part? i do not have an answer to that question. you do. you can show the people of san francisco that you will draw the line in the sand, and you will protect our crown jewel of golden gate park. this is the heritage you will leave for future generations of children. if you love golden gate park, you will reject the eir. there are other locations for a soccer complex. there is only one golden gate park. thank you. [applause] president chiu: thank you very much. are there other members of the public that wish to speak? ok. at this time, we have had a court stenographer who has been taking notes to transcribe today's a transcript. what i would like to do is to temporarily recess the meeting for about 10 minutes to give a chance for her fingers to rest and to change the tapes, at

which point we will hear from the planning department. president chiu: if i could ask everyone to please take their seats so we could get going again. [gavel] welcome back to the appeal of the final environmental impact report on the renovation project. at this point, we will hear from the planning department for them to discuss their final environmental impact report. you have 10 minutes. >> good evening, supervisors. i am from the planning department. joining me is sarah